By Sister Rosemary Howarth, SSND
I have a friend whose pastime is writing icons. She offered to write one for me. What a wonderful gift!
I was to choose the image.
My choice (shown here) hinged on the blatant disrespect for life that pervades so many corners of our common home today. I wanted a constant reminder of the tenderness that is so needed in our world. I looked to Mary and “how she treasured all the realities of her life and pondered them in her heart” (Lk 2:19, 51)
I chose of the image Maria, Madre della Tenerezza, Mother of Tenderness. This icon invites me not only to recall the humble birth of Love Incarnate through Mary, but to marvel at the potential of every human being to incarnate the tenderness of God’s love.
As we approach the Feast of the Incarnation, I ponder the many emotions that must have filled Mary's heart just before giving birth and after. I consider the many pregnant women today who have their own kaleidoscope of emotions, depending on their life context:
ANXIETY, while on an arduous journey.
COMFORT, if a faithful companion is near.
HOPE, that the child will be born in a safe, warm place.
FEAR, that there may be no such place.
ANTICIPATION and CONCERN, of caring tenderly for this new life.
PAIN … TEARS … RELEASE … and for a moment, perhaps, SHEER JOY, at the sound of the baby’s first cry.
As While Mary gazed in awe upon the miracle of Love Incarnate that she held in her arms, as she treasured all these things, I believe that she could feel in her own heart the very tenderness of the heart of God.
I also believe that this same tenderness resides in every human heart as we welcome Love. "In the deepest fibre of our being, we were made to love and to be loved." [Pope Francis Delixir Nos # 21]
May we, in awe and reverence, take time to treasure in our hearts the many “Love Incarnate Moments” we experience this Christmas. May we, like Mary, be joyful credible witnesses of the tenderness of God wherever we are.
And Eternal Love Was Born ...
In the stillness of a starlit night,
Mary, pregnant and young,
gave birth to her Son.
Angels sang.
Shepherds came
in wonder and in awe.
Joseph, protective and strong
witnessed the miracle
in the makeshift birthing room.Here God immersed God’s very self
into humanity …
and Eternal Love was born.
